Assignment 1: Integrative Diagnostics, inc. Market Analysis

The computational power currently available in modern devices has revolutionized how businesses and individuals interact with almost every aspect of their life. The ability of current technology to generate massive data sets and analyze them to spot trends out of the noise is at the heart of its utility. The biomedical field has has been lagging behind in utilizing the incredibly rich datasets generated by research scientists; specifically, in generating tools and analytical techniques that can make modern medicine more personalized, less invasive, and thus more efficacious.

Integrative Diagnostics, inc (Indi) discovered several hundred distinct biomarkers for lung cancer that are detectable via blood. These were further refined to 13 biomarkers that can be readily detected through a simple series of assays utilizing only the patients blood. These markers will differentiate between malignant and benign tumors. The current standard is to biopsy a lung nodule, necessitating surgery. Unfortunately, only 20% of those who undergo biopsy are shown to have malignant tumors. Indi’s first product “Xpresys Lung” aims to eliminate unnecessary surgery and thus make a cheaper, safer path for those suffering from lung nodules.

In addition to their current product, Indi aims to utilize their biomarker analysis system to generate subsequent diagnostic platforms. Numerous other cancers suffer from the lack of a non-invasive malignancy assay and the ability of modern technologies to discover such biomarkers has yet to be fully realized.

Indi’s current technology is limited to lung cancer nodule analysis. They claim that millions 0f such nodules are discovered worldwide each year and their product is the first to reach the quality necessary for a true surgery replacement. Due to this, they are not trying to actively steal customers from any current source. However, they are not the first to try and generate in-vitro diagnostic assays for cancers. In fact, several other companies are trying their own proprietary technology to capture their share of the diagnostic market. The market will get crowded very soon as start-ups lock in their technology and make it the standard for care.